3 Days 2 Nights Surabaya Weekend Break – Day 2 (September 2013)

Day 2 – Surabaya

Since this was going to be a relaxing weekend break, we didn’t have to wake up early to keep up with a packed itinerary. We took our own sweet time and when we finally felt the need to replenish our stomach, we went to the restaurant.

Hotel lobby sitting areaHotel lounge and sitting area

The restaurant was small so it was a little crowded. However, we managed to get a table and we settled in for the buffet breakfast. The buffet spread wasn’t the best for a Novotel Hotel we came across but it wasn’t bad either. The food selection was sufficient and fine. The wait staff were busy as usual as we helped ourselves to a few helpings at the buffet spread. Having had enough of food intake, we returned to our room.

Cake and pastry counter at restaurant entrance

It was still early and shops in the shopping mall won’t be open so we made our way to the swimming pool for a swim. This time the swim was better as those hotel guests attending convention were busy and we were not affected by cigarette smoke from smokers at the restaurant outdoor area. After a relaxing swim, we went back to our room to get ready for our shopping activities.

Nice Hotel ground in Novotel Hotel

Garden next to swimming pool

We went to the concierge to request for a bluebird taxi for Tunjungan Plaza. Shortly after, a bluebird taxi arrived at the hotel entrance. We boarded the taxi and were soon on our way to Tunjungan Plaza. It was a Sunday so the traffic was light this late morning. So in about 15 minutes, we reached Tunjungan Plaza. Taxi fare was under 30,000 IDR.

Novotel Hotel car parkNovotel Hotel entrance

Tunjungan Plaza wasn’t very crowded yet when we arrived. The mall was rather huge with many floors and there were two wings so we started slowly from the ground floor and made our way up. When it was past noon, we went to look for a restaurant for lunch. We ended up at a food court with a wide selection of food stalls for lunch. In fact, we were not very hungry after our heavy buffet breakfast, so a meal at the food court was good enough for us.

Many levels of shops in Tunjungan Plaza

After lunch, we continued with our shopping at the many shops in Tunjungan Plaza. We took our time as we had the whole day at the mall. The leisurely walked eventually tired us out. So it was tea time and we parked ourselves at Secret Recipe Café for some cakes and coffee. Tunjungan Plaza was getting busier now. There were quite a lot of young people hanging out at cafes and spending time on a Sunday with family and friends. The coffee break was good to rest our tired legs and the cakes and coffee simply sweetened our break.

Nice cakes at Secret Recipe Cafe

We continued with more shopping and this time we hit Matahari Departmental Store. We spent a lot of time here while my daughter and wife shopped for clothes and shoes. I managed to purchase two pairs of shoes for myself and my younger son. The prices at Matahari were very good with great discounts during weekends.

Many more shops in Tunjungan PlazaPlenty of shops in Tunjungan PlazaMany levels of shops in Tunjungan Plaza

With shopping at Matahari done, we continued roaming the different levels in the mall. The ladies decided to go for a hair cut at a salon so I had a chance to sit down to rest and play with my phone. It was a good hour spent at the salon and we were refreshed again. So we were on our feet again to explore more shops.

Many shops in Tunjungan PlazaShopping in Tunjungan Plaza

We went to a mobile phone shop to enquire whether they could help cut our normal sim card to a micro size sim card for our other handset. They obliged and when it was done, I wanted to pay them but they refused payment and just smiled and told us it was alright. It was really a nice gesture and we were very pleased. This was the first time we were visiting this second largest city in Indonesia. We found the people here very helpful and friendly even though many of them could not speak English. So we thanked the good people at the shop and moved on again.

Tunjungan Plaza and Convention CentrePlenty of shops in Tunjungan Plaza

After another round of strolling at the mall, it was dinner time. So this time we looked for a proper restaurant as we had a very good dining experience the previous night and were hoping to sample more delicious Hong Kong style food. The mall was very big with many restaurants. So we went into this Chinese restaurant that offered dim sum items and other dishes.

We ordered porridge and noodles again plus more dim sum items. We liked the roast pork that came with the porridge. The dinner was very good and we were very satisfied again. We were totally filled up after dinner.

As it was already evening, having had enough of shopping, we decided to head back to Novotel Surabaya Hotel. There was a queue at the entrance of the mall for taxis so we had to wait for our turn. Finally, we managed to get into a bluebird taxi and we were on our way towards Novotel Surabaya Hotel.

However, this taxi driver was multitasking too much to our comfort. He was using the horn so often at the same time yakking away on the phone and squeezing into any available gaps on the road trying to get ahead in the busy part of town. Thankfully, we arrived the hotel in one piece and in good shape.

Once again, we went straight to the cake and pastry counter at the entrance of the restaurant. We bought more cakes and pastries at 50% discount for our supper in the later part of the evening. Next we returned to our room.

It was good to be back to our comfortable room. Shower after a day out was a great feeling. It was time to slack again and watched TV. We sent pictures of our shopping back home to share with the children via our phones. It was a great time of catching up.

Soon, it was coffee time and we enjoyed our supper with the cakes and pastries over coffee in our comfortable room. It was a great day of shopping in Surabaya even though we did not explore many parts in this city. It was nevertheless, good enough for us. Perhaps for our next visit, we would schedule an early morning hike to Mount Bromo to watch the legendary sunrise.

Meanwhile, we continued with our TV programs before finally succumbing to the call of our clean and comfortable beds for a good night of sweet rest. That ended our second day in Surabaya.